Serbia

The uprising after the collapse at Novi Sad

Sunday 9 November 2025, by Fourth International Serbia delegation


A year after the collapse of the canopy of the Novi Sad train station, which killed 16 people, the Serbian political landscape has been radically shaken by a student social movement of an intensity not seen in decades. A delegation from the Fourth International, composed of comrades from the GA (Gauche anticapitaliste, Belgium) and the NPA-A (Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste, France), went to meet political, trade union, associative and student activists, to build bonds of solidarity with them and to bring their words back to our countries.

Violence, corruption, nepotism, nationalism: these words would probably not be enough to characterize the police state regime of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who has been at the country’s helm since 2012. Its hold on the country’s institutions and land heritage is sprawling. To obtain a basic job in many sectors, or even a simple place to live, it is strongly recommended to take your card from the ruling party, the SNS (Serbian Progressive Party), and to participate in its propaganda meetings. Many Serbs consider themselves “under occupation.” And they speak of imperialist interference coming from the East as well as from the West, which closes its eyes to the reality of the regime.
Students as driving force of resistance

The Novi Sad disaster, a symptom of corruption that has devastated the country’s economic infrastructure, acted as a detonator. Teaching staff, going beyond its traditional corporatism, initiated a strike movement. It was quickly joined, and massively, by students from all over the country. Organized in assemblies that apply strict democratic practices, they have set up long marches throughout the country. From village to village, they are welcomed by the inhabitants as heroes. The majority of people enthusiastically supported the movement of those they call “our children.”

One of the most striking and moving symbols was the meeting of students from Novi Pazar, a city with a Muslim and Bosnian majority, with students from the rest of the country: a scene of incredible symbolic force in this region of Europe haunted by a genocidal civil war. “It was the first time I felt like a Serbian citizen,” said a student from Novi Pazar when he arrived in Belgrade.

Movement plans electoral challenge

Since September, the movement has struggled to find a second breath; blockades of universities have stopped almost everywhere. Lack of political coordination? Is the movement running out of steam over the long term? Failed convergence with the trade union movement? Conflictual relationship with a discredited political opposition? Intensification of repression by the regime? Structural blockage linked to Serbia’s position in the world economy? There are many explanations for the current impasses, and they testify to the richness of the strategic debates that run through the Serbian left.

To find a political outlet, the student movement, demanding Vučić’s departure and the holding of free and democratic elections, has chosen to present an independent electoral list. A student list that has engaged in extensive programmatic and organizational work, in conjunction with the rest of the population and civil society. Some polls credit them with more than 45% of voting intentions. The regime has understood this well, rejecting any early election and playing the card of rot and repression to the full. We will stand by them in this perilous fight and send them our full solidarity.

5 November 2025

Attached documentsthe-uprising-after-the-collapse-at-novi-sad_a9254.pdf (PDF - 899.9 KiB)
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Fourth International Serbia delegation
This delegation visited Serbia in October 2025.


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